ALMOST 14million viewers had a taste for The Great British Bake Off last year as the final topped TV ratings.

So knowing the public will be hungry for more, it is little surprise this year’s contestants felt the pressure in the tent.

Show judge Paul Hollywood, 50, said: “I actually think they are more nervous this year – because it’s so big.

“And I think they’ve come in with their eyes wide open but then they are not really aware until they set foot in that tent. They’re nervous this year and it has affected them. There’s been a lot of inconsistency.”

Fellow judge Mary Berry, 81, added: “They were slower to settle down this time because all the people who enter have watched the previous years and you know they get persuaded to do it.